


The Broken Bird, Reunited

by IsabelleAmberley



Category: Teen Titans (Animated Series)
Genre: Angst, F/F, Grief, M/M, Moral Ambiguity
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-18
Updated: 2020-11-20
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:40:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26523847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IsabelleAmberley/pseuds/IsabelleAmberley
Summary: Four years after the death of two of their beloved comrades, the Titans have broken apart. Robin, having allowed Slade to kill them, no longer sees himself as fit to be their leader or a hero and struck out on his own. Taking on the new name Crow, he found a new ally in Red X, a mysterious criminal using the old suit he unwisely created in order to get closer to Slade. Raven and Starfire, left alone, abandoned the Titans name and now enforce justice in their own way.Having embraced both sides of the law, how will Crow react when he finds his old allies working to defend the remains of his beloved fallen friend? Can their shared grief allow them to reconcile, or will they be forever driven apart?
Relationships: Dick Grayson/Red X, Rachel Roth/Koriand'r
Kudos: 23





	1. Cyborg

Crow stared down at the fortified, heavily guarded building he and Red X had been casing for months. It was just as they had suspected, guard change at 0300, greatly short-staffed due to the distractions they had prepared. Everything was just as planned, perfect for the heist of a lifetime. "Now or never, huh?" he muttered. "You got it. Everything's prepared. The power will go down for five minutes at 0302. That's your cue. Sneak in and you'll find what you need."

"I know what I'm doing, X," muttered Crow. "But thanks for helping me. I just can't stand the JCDF defiling his legacy like that." He breathed deep, then leaned forward, letting gravity take him off the building. After a few seconds, Crow fired his grappling hook onto a nearby tree. He cut an arc through the air, bleeding momentum before hitting the ground with a perfectly executed roll. Silently, his hook retracted back into his gun and he stared at the back entrance of the facility.

As promised, the power soon went down. The guards were confused for a moment, which was all Crow needed. He tossed a rock next to them and, when they turned their heads, slipped behind them and into the building. The inside was deserted, the back entrance meant for employees only. With no hesitation, Crow crept forward, reviewing his mental map of the building.

"Infiltration successful," said Crow. It was three doors, plus an electronic lock to get where he needed. Easily, he picked the lock on the first one, creeping through and moving forward. Researchers in coats walked throughout the halls, watched carefully by armored and uniformed guards holding laser rifles. Perhaps more difficult than usual, but nothing he couldn't handle.

It was simple for Crow to slip by them, with the final door being a bit more complicated. A retina scan, plus a combination lock, plus a standard keyhole. Not something he had the time to pick, so instead Crow retrieved his glass cutter from his utility belt. He attached the suction cup and cut a circle through the reinforced glass, removing it and placing it aside. "Amateurs don't even know to use iron bars," hissed Crow. Suddenly, he heard a noise behind him. "Hey! Stop! Hands in the air!"

Instantly, Crow turned around, throwing a birdarang at the interloping guard. He cried out in pain as it penetrated his hand, leaving him momentarily defenseless. Next, Crow rushed forward, bashing his forehead against his knee. He shoved the guard against a wall, grabbing his gun to keep it from clattering to the floor. "Crap!" hissed Crow as he thought through the codes he had memorized.

Crow grabbed the guard's radio and flicked it on. Disguising his voice, he spoke. "Blue seven, incident at UJ6 is a false alarm, just a rat that managed to pass decontamination." He looked around for a good place to stash the guard and found a nearly utility closet. Easily, he set the unconscious guard on the floor and covered him with a tarp. The radio chirped to life as he worked. "Copy, Blue four, continue patrol. Will advise." Good, he was clear. He left the rifle there. Even after so long, he never broke the rule about using guns.

Moving back to the door, Crow reached through the empty circle and unlocked it from the inside. Now nothing was left between him and his target. Determined, he walked through and saw a few researchers sitting in front of a glass tube. One in particular looked extremely familiar, a kid who looked around 13 with a bald head, a green jumpsuit and a harness on his chest leading to metallic spider-like legs in front of his own natural ones.

"...You? Seriously, you joined the JCDF, Gizmo?" asked Crow. "Cram it, snotbrains. They paid me more!" He reached for an alarm button and got a birdarang through the wrist for the trouble. Crying in pain, he clutched at it, watching the blood drip down. "That goes for the rest of you, too. Try for the alarms and you'll find one in your throat." A bluff, of course, but one that would serve well enough.

Suitably cowed, the scientists backed away from their desks at Crow's command. Finally, all obstacles were clear. The glass tube contained a weapon of some kind, white and blue with strange circuit-like patterns running throughout. At one end, disconnected wires, at the other, a cannon of some kind. "You. Open it." Crow pointed at a nearby scientist, holding a birdarang as an implied threat. She obeyed, punching a code into the keypad at the bottom of the tube.

"You will not take my friend!" Another guard, perhaps? Not a concern. Crow turned around, only to find two women staring back at him. One wore an indigo cloak casting a shadow over the top of her face, the other wore a rather skimpy outfit consisting of a purple crop top, miniskirt and boots. Instantly, underneath his helmet, recognition crossed Crow's face. "No... No!" he said. After all this time, why did they have to-

"No what? You're still going to jail. Azeroth metrion-" Crow cut off the woman's chant with a gas bomb at her feet. She began coughing as CS gas entered her lungs. The other women flew high to avoid the gas as her hands were covered in an alien green glow. She threw several projectiles at him, which he easily evaded before drawing his collapsible bo staff. Extending it, he smashed the tube and grabbed the discarded sonic cannon.

"Crow, get out of there. You can't beat them." Red X chirped through his earpiece as he ran for the exit. The woman in the cloak had regained her composure, containing the gas within a black field of psionic energy. It extended towards Crow, who ran to evade it. There was only one exit, and she stood between him and it.

"You did your research, but you pissed off the wrong women by going after this. Who are you working for? Actually, no need to answer. I'll know soon enough." Crow could not get past these two women and carry the cannon. He had no choice. He attached a small disc to it and threw it at the woman flying above him. As she moved to catch it, it exploded, shattering it into useless pieces of metal and circuitry. With her occupied, Crow sprinted forward, swinging his staff.

She never was good at close combat, but she learned enough to block a few staff strikes. Taking some hits, she pushed Crow away with that strange black energy and held him in place. Struggle as he might, he couldn't escape its bindings. "Now let's see who you really are," she said, pulling off his mask. "The midget's working with us, now, Slade is taller and you're..." Both of the women dropped silent as they saw Crow's face. Teeth gritted, he silently stared at them, knowing his opportunity to escape had since passed.

"Robin?" said Raven.

"Friend Robin?" said Starfire.

"No. Don't call me that any more." If he could just move-

Raven lurched forward, stumbling before hitting the ground. Starfire moved to intercept but found several strange shuriken in her palms. It was him, Red X, Crow's partner. The one who stood by him when no one else would, and the one who had coordinated this entire mission. "Crow, it's time to go. They're not your teammates any more."

"I know that." Crow listened to X, tossing another CS gas bomb as he sprinted forward. It wouldn't be long before Raven and Starfire recovered and came after them, so they had to move. Several guards, alerted after Gizmo managed to reach an alarm, stood in their path. Working together, Crow and Red X engaged the guards in close combat, easily breaking their rifles before using their martial arts to incapacitate them. Many limbs were broken, a few foreheads fractured, but all of them would live.

Finally, the front door was in sight. Though the JCPD weren't anywhere near as competent or well equipped as the JCDF, they had superior numbers. "Shit, they locked it!" yelled Red X. "Get back!" ordered Crow. He set a few more explosive discs on the hinges and the pair jumped behind a nearby table. As soon as the bombs went off, they ran out the front door, disappearing into the night. "Split up," said Red X. "Regroup back at the base."

They went their separate ways, easily blending into the darkness. It was nothing to them to evade a pursuing force, having done it dozens of times before. Just duck into a secluded area, change into civilian clothes and stay out of sight. It was particularly easy if you selected it beforehand and prepared an outfit. Crow needed time to process what he just saw, but he knew he didn't have the time for that. Not yet.

The base was close by. Crow knew that from many crimes, back when he was forced to serve Slade. But now, now his former friends were free, one way or another. It didn't take long for him to duck into the sewers and navigate the labyrinthine maze to get to his base. His home. The security was much stronger than the facility he had just escaped. Having been on both sides of the law, Crow knew exactly how to defend against those who would try to get in.

Crow walked to their living area and collapsed onto a nearby couch, holding his head in his hands. He knew that Raven and Starfire were still active, still partners, but today? Today, of all days, was the worst possible time to encounter them. "Fuck!" he yelled, smashing his fist on the coffee table. His hand throbbed in pain, something familiar from countless martial arts training sessions. Exhausted, he stripped his clothes off, leaving him in his undergarments.

After a few moments, the vault door opened again and in walked Red X. He, too, removed his helmet, showing a young black man with a shaved head and a scar running down his cheek. "You alright, Crow?" he asked as the door sealed shut behind him.

"...Four years. It had been four years since I saw them. And the first time it happened, I was trying to steal the remains of my friend to give him a proper funeral." Crow continued holding his head in his hands. He'd need to take a lot of time to process what had happened.

"Hey, we discussed the contingency. You knew you might have to destroy it." Red X was right. They knew what might happen.

"It's better than letting the JCDF treat him like a lab rat, but... fuck!" Crow leaned backwards, closing his eyes at the thought.

"It can't be fun to do that to your friend," said Red X. "Wasn't the orange one your girlfriend?"

"Her name is Starfire. Or Koriand'r, more formally. We... had feelings for each other, but I thought we shouldn't... now isn't the time to discuss this. I'm going to take a shower." Crow got up and walked towards the bathroom. Their base was fully equipped with everything a criminal mastermind would need. And now it was inhabited by two small-time crooks. One thing was for sure, though. The pair was certain to encounter those women again.


	2. Flashbacks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Crow remembers precisely what lead to him meeting Red X and finally breaking free from Slade.

Crow stripped off his undergarments and sat under the warm water. Memories from his past life came flooding back from him, back when his love for his friends forced him to serve his worst enemy. Back when his foolishness got Garfield killed.

_"Attack them with all your might or your friends will be destroyed." Robin saw his teammates screaming in pain as the nanites Slade had infected them with attacked their nerves. They were in the greatest pain of their lives, collapsed and writhing under the agony. He couldn't bear to see them hurt any more, no matter the cost._

_The nearby emitter. It was a device resembling a tesla coil that controlled the machines inside of his friends. That would be the key to undoing Slade's work. So, Robin ran, not to his friends, but to the device causing them pain. With a leap, he landed on it, deliberately gripping it as hard as he could. He soon found he had made the correct choice as the nanites swarmed into his body and began wracking his body, as well._

_"AAAAAAAAGH!" Robin screamed harder than he ever had before, save perhaps when he had first learned his parents were murdered. Every inch of his body was pierced with white hot knives, every joint cracked, every muscle torn. But just as suddenly as the pain began, it vanished. After that, he heard some of the worst words of his life. "Let me show you the price for disobedience."_

_Robin wrenched his head towards his friends and saw that all but one was left spared from the pain. Beast Boy. His flesh, alone, began dissolving and piling down on the floor. Little more than muscle and sinew covering bone, he reached upward towards his face, staring at Robin and Slade behind him. Finally, his body gave out and he collapsed, being left as little more than patches of meat stuck to the skeleton of a small boy. The youngest among them, and the first to die. After a moment, all that was left was a grotesque green and red puddle on the floor._

_"You didn't really think I wouldn't program individual control? Now, fight them. Unless you wish for another to meet the same fate." Teeth gritted and tears running down his cheeks, Robin assumed a martial arts stance. For Beast Boy. For Garfield. He could not allow this to happen again._

A knock at the door interrupted Crow's flashback. "Hey. Can I come in?" He shuddered at the thought of his partner seeing him like this. "No, not right now. I'm sorry," he replied. "It's fine," said X. "I'll leave your clothes outside the door.

In a couple minutes, Crow finished his shower and dressed up in his civilian clothes. Once more, he was left lamenting his past. He knew he could never bring those days back and his friends were gone. Forever. For his own mistakes, they paid the price, and because of that, he knew those who remained would never accept him.

_Robin knew it was best to remain ignorant of his master's designs in order to better cope with what he was forced to do. But could he even do that anymore? He had done horrible things - sabotaged JCPD equipment, stolen from banks, destroyed critical infrastructure - but never crossed that line. The one his mentor told him he must never cross. That was his sole comfort, the only way he could maintain any semblance of morality in this horrid, fucked up situation. And he knew, no matter what happened, he must maintain that line._

_That one line was the reason Robin looked into the device he had been told to plant. He should have known long before now, but this? It was obvious. He opened the box and immediately understood. Everything lined up for him. The stock purchases he had made, the endless research into rivals. Slade had to finance his operations, but he thought even this was beneath him._

_"Do as you're told, Robin." His earpiece came to life with his master's voice, but for once, he knew he couldn't. "No," he replied. "You've had me do horrible things. But bombing a hospital to drive funds to its competitor? No. That's beneath even you." He felt the familiar electric shock course through his body, the price of disobedience he so often suffered. Even so, he maintained his will. He would not - could not - yield to such a heinous act. "Fine," said Slade. "If you will not do as you're told, you will see your friends suffer the consequences. Open your communicator."_

_At these words, Robin trembled. Garfield had already paid the price for his mistakes, but who was next? Should he just do as he was told? Plant the device and go beg for forgiveness? He couldn't. Trembling, he knew he had to watch, if only as penance for what was about to happened. He opened his communicator and saw immediately who was next._

_Cyborg._

_Sitting alone in his room, with no one to help him as the nanites began eating him alive. Unlike with Beast Boy, his body was half metal. He screamed in pain as his flesh slowly lost cohesion, causing him to collapse onto the floor. Eventually, the cries gave way to soft moans, then utter silence. His cybernetic enhancements were left, surrounded by dissolved gore. A cruel parody of a man Robin once called his best friend._

_"Remember, I have two more hostages. Do as you're told." Robin cried at the sight of yet another friend lost because of him. But what choice did he have? Allow his two remaining teammates to die or bomb a hospital and personally kill dozens more? The choice was obvious. There was, however, an interloper. He turned around and saw the costume he had once developed, he had once used to make contact with Slade._

_Inside of it, someone he was unfamiliar with spoke. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?"_

That very same man now sat across from him, holding a holographic emitter. A newer technology, recently made popular by the emergence of the Jump City Defense Force. Ever since the Titans had disbanded, the government got desperate. They offered amnesty and lucrative contracts to any former villains willing to come work with them. Due to that, many such things had become simple consumer goods. "You need to see this," said Red X. "I found it outside our door."

Robin took the slate-shaped device and flicked it to live. He saw the two women who remained after the Titans could no longer function. They now operated within the JCDF, overseeing former villains and ensuring they couldn't cause trouble. Raven and Starfire. Raven was the first to speak.

"Robin, we know you're living in Slade's old hideout with Red X. But we want to know why. Why are you still working with criminals? Slade is gone. Has been for years. You're not alone in missing Cyborg. And Garfield, I never got to tell him I loved him."

At this, Starfire began speaking. "Friend Robin, I do not wish to live in a world where we must be enemies. Please, come back to us. We can work together again." She gingerly held out her hand to Raven and she took it in her own. Raven spoke once more. "Meet us at the old pizza shop we used to go to when we were a team. Tomorrow at noon. I promise, it will be just us. No police, no JCDF personnel. We need to talk."

Crow shut down the device. They just didn't get it. After all of this, how could he say anything to them? He buried his head in his hands again. Red X walked across the table and sat next to him, putting his hand on his shoulder. "Whatever you do, Crow, I will support you. Because now, you're my number one."

_Red X, the stranger in his old costume, tossed two devices at his feet. Robin backflipped behind a nearby table and tipped it over, instantly taking cover. Rather than the expected shrapnel, the grenades, instead, released an electric blast of some kind. His earpiece crackled, then fizzled into silence. Tentatively, he peeked out at him. "Good, now we can talk."_

_Robin ordinarily never would have trusted someone he met under these circumstances. But he was desperate, alone. Against Slade, he'd have no chance. He had tried, and failed, on many times to beat him. So, he spoke. He told this stranger about how Slade forced him to be his apprentice, how he had no choice if he wanted his friends to survive._

_"Damn, that's a fucked up situation," said Red X. Robin agreed completely. "You've been taking all of my jobs ever since I stole your old suit. Maybe we can work together. I'll help you kill Slade. After that, you work with me. That's our deal." He cringed at the implication. That was the line he was taught never to cross, no matter what._

_What good had that line done? Two of his friends were dead. He was a wanted criminal. His sole remaining connection was to his adoptive father. If he were to cross that line, he knew that connection would be cut. He would be truly alone, with only this stranger as an ally. Did he deserve anything more? Where could he possibly go after all of this?_

_He used to think the world was entirely black and white. There were criminals and there were those who fought to stop them. There was crime and the law. But here he was, formerly a hero, forced to become a villain. If he was to reside here, in this grey area, he knew he couldn't allow himself to operate without lines._

_"Fine," said Robin. "But three conditions. One, Slade will be the only person we kill, period. Two, half of what we steal goes to help charities. I can't even begin to repay what I've done, but it's a start. Three, tell me your name."_

_"I agree to all of those." Red X extended his hand. Tentatively, Robin reached out and took it. If he failed, he would lose the women he had once trusted his life to. If he succeeded, he would become a murderer. Even so, he knew he had no choice. Nothing but to keep fighting as hard as he could to break free._

"Felix," said Crow. "We're going to meet them. Plainclothes. I need you there to cover my back in case anything goes wrong." Felix wrapped his arm around Crow and pulled him in tighter. "Always. I'll never leave you to fight alone, not after everything we've been through. Killers. Friends. Thieves. Lovers. The two of them knew they had only each other, so no matter what happened, they would always stand together.


End file.
